The best of Audi at CES 2019: virtual reality for in-car entertainment

With an eye on future autonomous cars, Audi showcases two projects at CES 2019 that turn the vehicle interior into a true entertainment centre thanks to immersive and virtual reality technologies.

Audi is once again faithful to its appointment at CES, the consumer electronics fair held at the beginning of the year in Las Vegas. And once again, it surprises us with previews of the future and new technologies that we will see in its production cars sooner rather than later.

On this occasion, with the autonomous car in its sights, Audi has developed two projects that turn the vehicle interior into a true amusement park. And this is no metaphor. Self-driving cars will give occupants more free time – especially the driver – who will be able to work, simply relax, or enjoy in-car entertainment.

At CES, the cars on display are the Audi Aicon, the Audi A8, and the new Audi e-tron. However, they are not the real stars of the brand’s stand.

Audi Experience Ride: travelling while enjoying a virtual experience

A pair of virtual reality glasses connected to the car’s data bus is the key to turning the vehicle into whatever we want. For example, a spaceship. Passengers in the rear seats will be able to dodge meteorites through an imaginary representation of outer space.

The best part is that the experience is fully immersive, as the technology allows the car’s movements to be adapted in real time so that they match the interactive virtual reality the driver perceives. The idea of Audi is to introduce this technology with VR glasses for the rear seats as soon as possible, thereby revolutionising the vehicle’s in-car entertainment systems. To this end, it has taken part in creating a start-up, named holoride GmbH, which will be tasked with having it ready within three years.

Audi Immersive In-Car Entertainment: cinema with all five senses

Another interesting project that Audi showed at CES allows the vehicle’s occupants to enjoy cinema films in a way never seen before. Unlike the Audi Experience Ride, here the vehicle is parked. The film images are projected onto an external screen or onto the Audi tablets located in the rear seats.

So far nothing seems especially novel. But the Audi A8 on display at CES is equipped with a new active suspension system which, applied to this project, makes it possible to move the bodywork and adjust pitch, lift and descent movements at high frequencies, precisely matching the action of the film being shown.

Furthermore, the motorised seats capable of generating movement similar to that of a 3D cinema, the climate control, the interior ambient lighting system and the surround sound from the 23 speakers of the HiFi system also help create a unique experience. And in the future, Audi also intends to add the possibility for content to be played back and viewed through VR glasses.

Car-to-X, e-tron, intelligent lighting…

Audi’s showing at CES did not stop there. The Audi e-tron reminded us that a new era of enjoying a new car will soon begin, with “on-demand” equipment that can be purchased after the sale. As easy as requesting it from the MyAudi app on your mobile phone or on a computer to add functions such as driver assistance systems, lighting systems or infotainment equipment that was not included when the vehicle was bought. And it can be activated permanently, or these features can be hired on a temporary basis only.

The brand with the four rings also showed the possibilities offered by intelligent networked connectivity between vehicles and with infrastructure. This makes it possible to avoid dangerous situations on the road by warning other drivers of an accident or ice on the road, for example. Or to make car use in the city easier by reporting free parking spaces, or by helping the driver match their speed to the sequence of traffic lights.

Finally, the LUX concept also has a great future. Displayed on a 1:3 scale model, it uses the latest lighting technologies so that the vehicle can communicate with pedestrians and cyclists, improving their safety. And Audi revealed what its latest headlight evolution will be like: digital matrix LED headlights, which improve on everything seen so far in reach and brightness, offering greater precision in avoiding dazzling, and even with the possibility of projecting information onto the road surface visible to pedestrians and cyclists.